


In The Spotlight

by clokcwork_dragon



Category: RWBY
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Femslash, Freezerburn - Freeform, Slow Burn, musicians au, other characters and ships appear too i just dont wanna clog their tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:16:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28698300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clokcwork_dragon/pseuds/clokcwork_dragon
Summary: Yang Xiao Long is just your average college dropout, working a part-time job and practicing to be a rock star. Weiss Schnee is your very-much-not-average Atlas opera star, with her whole life already planned out of her. When they're forced to meet each other with the aid of a mutual friend, it seems they'll get along about as well as oil and water. But will that be all, or is there more than meets the eye?
Relationships: Weiss Schnee/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 8
Kudos: 10





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone and welcome to the latest literary disaster to come out of this account! That's right folks, we're diving deep into RWBY territory with some good ol' Freezerburn slowburn. Because I totally don't have three other multichapter fics I'm working on for two different fandoms! Not at all!
> 
> Anyway, this AU came to me while listening to Nightwish, and then I started watching Carole & Tuesday and realised that I absolutely had to do something with it. Plus Freezerburn was my first RWBY ship back in two-thousand-whatever, and I can't seem to let go of my love for it! Bumbleby is a close second, of course, which is why I decided to mention Yang & Blake having a past relationship and still being great friends. Hopefully I'll be able to include flashbacks too.
> 
> Anyway, just your typical musicians' au with some fluff, crack, emotional angst and tomfoolery for the soul. Hope you enjoy!

Weiss Schnee had the perfect life.

At only seventeen, she was one of Atlas’ most renown opera singers. She was a proud member of the Schnee family, with a long history of musically talented ancestors behind her. She was beautiful, had a perfect education on all fronts, lived in a vast mansion and had anything she could wish for.

Except friends.

Her father always said that a Schnee didn’t need friends. All she needed was her family name, and her talent. Besides, she had all those fans who cheered her name, and clapped and asked for encores, and hung from every alteration, rise and fall of her divine voice. After every performance, her dressing room would be filled with gifts and letters of adoration sent by the spectators, and her name was known across all of Remnant. Really, what else could she ask for?

Weiss kept telling herself she wasn’t lonely. Loneliness wasn’t something she had the privilege to feel. She was a Schnee, and she had a duty to her family, to her fans and to herself. Everything else mattered not, for it would not pave her way to success.

All Weiss truly had, when she truly thought about it, was her voice.

And she was determined to keep it that way. Sentimentalities would only complicate matters for everyone.

* * *

Yang Xiao Long had… a good life.

At nineteen, she was a college dropout, working double shifts at the local café and having garage concerts every other Saturday, to which approximately twenty people came to see her play “the devil’s music” on her electric guitar. She sung, sometimes, but while she definitely had a talent for the instrument she played, the same could not be said for her singing capabilities. Her sister Ruby kept insisting she sounded “wild and awesome, as always”, but Yang had once overheard Nora Valkyrie ask whether a wild animal was dying in their garage while she and Ruby were at home doing schoolwork.

But Yang didn’t really mind. Music was her passion, something she did to express her emotions and her wildest dreams. Her guitar was her most prized possession (after her motorcycle)… and all that her mother, Raven Branwen, had left behind before she disappeared.

Yang grew up resenting the woman who had abandoned her. Her father and Ruby were a lovely family but, well… she always missed her mother, as she was certain Ruby missed hers. The two were sisters only by their father’s blood (or at least, that’s the story Ruby knew. Yang knew an extra teeny tiny detail that had been left out for simplicity’s sake; that Ruby wasn’t really her sister, but her cousin. Born of her mother’s brother, Qrow Branwen, and Summer Rose, who had died when the girls were only babies).

But Yang had learned to live without Raven and Ruby had learned to live without Summer. The girls had each other, and Taiyang, and their many friends from Beacon Academy of Arts. And truly, what more would they need?

No, Yang was definitely happy with how her life was. And she was determined to not let anyone prove her wrong.


	2. Chapter 1

Another day, another argument with dad.

_‘Yang, you know I love your music more than anyone else, but you need to find a real job. I won’t always be around to support you.’_

She’d explained she that she has a real job as a bartender at the downtown establishment, owned by a friend of a friend’s parents.

_‘Sunshine, you know as well as I do that that’s not a stable career. You don’t have to finish college if you don’t want to, but maybe you could at least come watch me work at the garage?’_

She’d emphasised that although she enjoyed watching him service her motorbike, Bumblebee, her true calling was far from heartless machines and motor oil. No, her calling was _music._ Thunderous and bright and loud as she was.

_‘Sweetheart… I know playing your guitar brings you closer to your mother but-’_

Yang strummed loudly on her guitar, the booming noise ringing against the walls of the parking garage and covering up the angry, frustrated growl that came out of her mouth. What did dad know, anyway? Must have been nice growing up with both your parents, with good grades and a stable friend group that didn’t move from town to town for their major, and eventually with a stable job that put his skills to good use. Yeah, sounded like the dream.

‘ _You’re being a dick’,_ an annoyingly persistent part of her mind whispered, _‘you know dad loves you, and the only reason he’s being a pain in the ass is because he worries about you.’_

Annoyingly Wise Yang was right, of course. Regular Yang knew that pretty damn well. But Regular Yang also knew she was _angry_ and full of energy and a wish to see the whole wide world in search of Raven Branwen, which meant she wanted to hear nothing of wisdom and practicality right now.

She was about to produce another eldritch abomination of a solo to relieve her frustration, but then the garage door whirred and began to slide upwards, and as soon as it was a few good inches off the ground a messy mop of red-and-brown hair poked from under it.

“Yang!” Ruby greeted, before forcing the rest of her body under the slides. She jumped up, dusting off her skirt and flashing her older sister a grin. Yang sighed.

“Grew up in a boat or something? Why do you never knock, whelp?” There was no real bite in her voice, though. Instead she was grinning back to the younger girl. No matter how frustrated she was at the world around her, Yang could never bring herself to be angry with Ruby.

Besides, Ruby had her own demons to face. Yang knew only precious little from what Taiyang had told her, but she was fairly certain that Ruby had it worse than she did- even if the kid didn’t know yet.

“Sorry!” Ruby giggled, skipping up to the platform that Yang pretended was a stage. “But Oscar, Jaune and I were trying to do some schoolwork and, teehee, well…”

“Yeah, I sound like a dying animal.” Yang chuckled. “I know. Just had to get it out of my system, y’know how it is. Won’t bother you much longer.”

“Course, ‘course. And this is why I’m here! With a _perfect_ opportunity to get it all out!”

“Really?” Yang raised an eyebrow. Why did this feel more like one of Ruby’s chaotic, less-than-successful plans? Not that she didn’t appreciate the effort, but…

Ruby cleared her throat in a show of theatrical emphasis. “I got us tickets for a concert.”

Yang’s eyes widened, and abandoning her guitar on top of a crate she jumped down in front of Ruby.

“Really? Which band? Oh- is it the Cfvy Bunnies? Or- maybe the Happy Huntresses?”

Ruby rubbed the back of her head with an uneasy grin, which immediately put all of Yang’s hopes for an actual good time to rest.

“Not exactly…” Ruby flashed her a stack of tickets. “Y’see, Pyrrha knows this super talented opera star that came to town and she got us free-“

“ _Opera?_ ” Yang groaned. “Don’t get my hopes up for nothing sis, y’know I don’t consider _that_ to be real music.”

“But it’ll be fun! We’ll all go together! Pleaaase! I promise I’ll wash the dishes for a week if you come!”

Yang smirked, seizing the opportunity. “The dishes _and_ the laundry. For ten days.”

Ruby whined, making a face, but eventually she nodded her approval.

“Fine! Anything to get ya out of the garage!” She relented, before adding with a slightly mischievous tone, “Besides, Blake’s gonna be there too.”

Yang’s face lit up at the mention of the other girl’s name.

“Really? Blake’s back? Why didn’t she tell me? Oooh we haven’t seen her in so long!” If she was still holding her guitar, Yang would have played an excited little melody to celebrate the occasion. It had been two years ever since the last time she’d seen Blake Belladona, before the latter won a scholarship to a prestigious college in Vacuo, and left their little town to attend. They’d kept in touch, but Yang had missed her friend. And, well…

Ruby looked a little bit uneasy. “I- ah- she brought… someone from Vacuo. His name is Sun Wukong.”

“Ohh, spicy! Tell me more.” Yang urged her sister. Ruby shrugged, fidgeting with a frayed thread on the hem of her skirt.

“They’re, you know. A thing.” She glanced at Yang’s face for a reaction. When she saw none, she blinked. “You… don’t mind?”

Yang just shook her head- causing a few more clumps of tangled blonde hair to fly out of her messy ponytail.

“Blake and I ended it mutually. I’m happy to hear she’s found someone. Besides, we’ve been friends for ages before we got together, and we can still be friends after.” Yang suddenly frowned. “Wait, do you think she’ll mind?”

“Mind what?”

“Seeing me again. I mean, dunno. Maybe she’s met other people out there in Vacuo.”

Ruby let out a small growl of frustration.

“You’ve been friends since high school, Yang! She wouldn’t just give up on you!”

The unspoken words hung in the air between them; _not like your mother did_. Ruby would never say such a hurtful thing, of course, but Yang knew she’d at least thought of it. And she didn’t blame the younger girl, either; she was right after all. Raven had given up on her family and flown off to gods-know-where.

It was true that ever since Raven left, Yang had been feeling… inadequate. She wasn’t good enough; her own mother hadn’t stuck around, so why would others? She supposed she and Ruby were both afraid of abandonment, but Ruby clung to her loneliness like a comfort blanket, while Yang tried to shed it off or mask it with a cheerful smile and a boisterous nature.

Eh, at least they had each other. Yang was grateful for her little sis. Hell, life would have been such a _chore_ without her, and no, that wasn’t because Yang often talked Ruby into taking up her chores _at all, thank you very much._ And anyway, even if she _did_ talk Ruby into it, she usually paid up with candy and manga, so it seemed to her a very fair trade.

Yang realised that she had began to smile while thinking of it all. Impulsively, she grabbed Ruby and pulled her into a tight bear hug. The redhead yelped, but wrapped her arms around her younger sister.

“You’re right.” Yang said, Ruby’s head resting on her shoulder. “What would I do without my little sister, huh?”

She tussled Ruby’s hair, and Ruby whined and flailed in an attempt to dislodge herself from the hug. After a few seconds of fighting and shouting, Yang let her go and let out a loud laugh at Ruby’s indignant expression.

“C’mon sis, lighten up!” She patted Ruby’s shoulder, and walked past her towards the entrance of the garage. Ruby followed, grumbling in complaint. “We’ve got a pretentious opera show to attend!”

**Author's Note:**

> twitter: @flaythleann


End file.
